Stanislaus County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

The County code contains no provision requiring a short-term rental operator in the unincorporated area to carry liability insurance, name the County as additional insured, or maintain a minimum coverage amount, because there is no dedicated vacation-rental ordinance establishing such a condition. Neither the home-occupation chapter (Chapter 21.94) nor the Transient Occupancy Tax provisions (Ordinance Code Chapter 4.04) attach an insurance requirement to lodging or home-business activity. Insurance is therefore a private matter: hosts typically rely on a homeowner's or landlord policy, an endorsement for short-term rental use, or the host-protection coverage offered by booking platforms, but none of that is compelled by County rule. Operators should be aware that standard homeowner's policies often exclude commercial or rental activity, so dedicated short-term-rental coverage is prudent even though it is not legally required here, and a mortgage lender may separately require it. The absence of an insurance mandate reflects the broader pattern: Stanislaus County regulates unincorporated STRs through general zoning and tax rules rather than a tailored ordinance. California likewise imposes no statewide STR insurance mandate, so there is no minimum coverage figure to cite for this area.